Vacuum anchored pulling device

ABSTRACT

A pulling device used in automobile body repair work. A power operated post is pivoted on a vacuum anchor pad resting on a floor. The post is connected by a chain and a vacuum cup or the like to the part to be pulled. An extension leg on the anchor pad increases the pulling force which the device can exert without separation of the anchor pad from the floor.

[ 1 March 6, 1973 United States Patent [191 Wolgast et al.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS VACUUM ANCHORED PULLING DEVICE I R d P. w t Us] Mentors aymon olgas 3726 Klplmg 3,584,836 6/1971 Brubaker......... Hall, 3568 2,901,022 8/1959 Wilkerson...........................

Kipling Rd., both of Berkley, Mich. 48072 Primary Examiner-Othell M. Simpson Assistant Examiner-Robert C. Watson Attorney-Harness, Dickey & Pierce [73] Assignee: Said Wolgast by said Hall [22] Filed: Sept. 22, 1971 [5 7 ABSTRACT A pulling device used in automobile body repair work. A power operated post is pivoted on a vacuum anchor Appl. No.: 182,718

[52] US. Cl......................................254/124, 72/705 pad resting on a floor. The post is connected by a chain and a vacuum cup or the like to the part to be pulled. An extension leg on the anchor pad increases [51] Int. Cl. 3/00 the pulling force which the device can exert without separation of the anchor pad from the floor.

O 7 42 67 l 1 H. m 6D 3.. 3 33 61 B 2 MI "4 "5 2 h c r a e S f 0 M .P F 8 5 9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED R 73 3 x! 7/1 I a r N @W W M.

VACUUM ANCHORED PULLING DEVICE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Vacuum floor anchors are a relatively recent development in the automobile body repair industry. Such pads have found immediate acceptance as they may be moved easily about a garage floor and positioned wherever needed. The pad incorporates a downwardly projecting seal which contacts the floor and defines a vacuum chamber which is evacuated by a suction pump. Such anchor pads have various purposes. One of the more popular uses of such anchor pads is as a base or mount for a pivoting post or dozer." Such a pivoting post is commonly actuated by an hydraulic cylinder and serves to apply a pulling force to a body panel or other part of an automobile body or frame to be pulled or straightened. The ability of an anchor pad to hold its position on a garage floor has heretofore been largely a question of the projected area of the pad and the efficiency of the pump which evacuates the vacuum chamber. The present invention involves the discovery that the pulling capacity of the device can be materially increased by the use of an accessory leg which cooperates with the anchor to absorb the reactive force of the pulling effort. The leg desirably forms an accessory to the anchor pad and is connected to the anchor pad without separate fasteners or the like. The actuating hydraulic cylinder for the pulling post is conveniently seated on the extension leg to hold the leg in place.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a portable pulling device of the vacuum anchored type in which the capacity of the device to exert a pulling force without separation of the anchor from the floor is materially increased without increasing the size of the anchor or impairing the portability of the device. It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable pulling device of the above character which is low in cost and weight and highly compact in size for its pulling capacity.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a portable pulling device of the above character which is easy to assemble and use, which is highly rugged in character, and which possesses a long useful life, particularly by the avoidance of localized stresses or wear on the anchor pad seal. These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pulling device made in accordance with the present invention, the device being shown in operative relationship with an automobile body to be repaired;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, with parts being separated, removed and broken away for ease of illustration;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2 taken along the line 44 thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 illustrates an automobile 10 positioned on a garage floor 8 and having a door panel 12 which has been dented and on which it is desired to exert a pulling force. For this purpose a vacuum cup 14 is affixed to the door panel 12 and is held thereto by the evacuation of its vacuum chamber (not shown) through a vacuum hose 16. The vacuum cup 14 is connected by a chain 18 to a clevis 21. The clevis 21 is fitted to an eyelet 22 of a collar 24. The collar 24 is slidably fitted over a pivoting post 26 and can be locked in any desired position therealong by a screw 28.

The post 26 is pivoted on a base in the form of an anchor pad 30. The base or anchor pad 30 consists of a sheet metal plate 32 having an annular rubber seal 34 about the periphery thereof which projects downwardly into engagement with the floor 8. The upper surface of the plate 32 is provided with a pair of upstanding parallel reinforcing ribs or walls 36. The lower end of the post 26 is pivotally supported between the walls 36 by a bolt 38 extending through the walls 36. A head 40 of the bolt 38 is located on the outer side of one of the walls 36 and a nut 42 threaded on bolt 38 is located on the outer side of the other wall 36. The walls 36 are welded to the plate 32.

A support member or extension leg 44 is connected at one end thereof to the anchor pad 30 and is provided with a foot 46 at its opposite end. The leg 44 includes a pair of parallel sheet metal walls 48 connected by the foot 46 and cross members 50 and 52. The walls 48 have a pair of notches 54 formed in the lower surfaces thereof adjacent ends 56 thereof. The notches 54 receive the bolt head 40 and nut 42 to prevent longitudinal movement of the leg 44. The spacing between the walls 48 is just slightly greater than the spacing between the outer surfaces of the walls 36. Accordingly, the walls 36 prevent movement of the leg 44 in the direction perpendicular to said walls.

Power for pivoting the post 26 is supplied by an hydraulic cylinder 58 which rests at its lower end against the cross member 50 and a horizontal flange 60 thereof. The hydraulic cylinder 58 receives hydraulic fluid under pressure from a supply line 62 to actuate a piston rod 64 which is engageable at its outer end with a bracket 66 welded to the post 26. The bracket 66 presents an opening 68 to the piston rod which simply traps the free end of the piston rod to prevent its movement out of the bracket 66. There is no physical attachment between the cylinder 58 and the leg 44 or between the piston rod 64 and the post 26 other than the abutment of said members. It will also be seen that the sole connection between the leg 44 and the anchor pad 32 is the engagement of the notches 54 with the bolt head 40 and the nut head 42. No special fasteners or the like are required to connect the leg 44 to the anchor pad 30.

When hydraulic pressure is delivered to the cylinder 58 the cylinder extends itself through the elongation of the piston rod 64 to pivot the post 26 about the bolt 38. By this means a pulling force is exerted on the chain 18 tending to pull the panel 12 toward the post 26. It will be readily appreciated that the reactive or resultant forces on the pulling device are such that the pulling device tends to pivot about the foot 46, which flatly engages the floor as does the anchor pad seal 34. Movement of the post upwardly away from the floor is resisted by the differential pressures acting on the anchor pad 30 which cause the anchor pad to be held to the floor.

In one commercial embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the anchor pad 32 was used without the leg 44 (the hydraulic cylinder 58 being seated against a wall 70 of the anchor pad 30) and the collar 24 was set at a 20 inch height on the post 26. The device was able to apply a pulling force of 2300 pounds before the anchor pad 30 was pulled off of the floor. However, with the use of the leg 44 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 a pulling force of 6600 pounds was attained before the anchor pad 30 separated from the floor.

It will be appreciated that when the device is to be moved from one location to another, the leg 44 and cylinder 58 are readily removed and the post 26 can be gripped to tilt the anchor pad 30 and cause a pair of wheels 72 thereof to engage the floor 8-thus permitting the anchor pad 30 to be wheeled to different 10- cations on the floor 8.

A slightly modified form of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 3 in which the leg 44 and hydraulic cylinder 58 are shown in association with an anchor pad 74 having a floor engaging annular seal 76. In this construction, however, the anchor pad 74 is provided with a flat metal plate 78 having a first pair of upstanding reinforcing walls 80 and a second pair of reinforcing walls 82. The slots 54 of the leg 44 are positioned over the walls 80 while a pulling post 84 is pivoted between the walls 82. As in the prior embodiment of the invention the delivery of hydraulic fluid pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 58 maintains the connection between the hydraulic cylinder 58 and the leg 44 and between the piston rod 64 and post 84, thus obviating the need for separate fasteners or positive connections between such members. The force of the cylinder 58 also holds the leg 44 in engagement with the walls 80.

What is claimed is:

l. A portable pulling device including a base having a downwardly projecting annular seal adapted to engage a floor and define a vacuum chamber, a post pivoted on said base, a leg having one end thereof positioned on said base and having a foot at its opposite end adapted to engage the floor, an extensible force applying device mounted at one end thereof on said leg and associated at its opposite end with said post to apply a pivoting force thereto, whereby the reaction to said pivoting force is received by said base and said foot.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which said leg is provided at one end thereof with downwardly open slot means operable to receive portions of said base to prevent longitudinal movement of said leg relative to said base.

3. A structure as set forth in claim 1 including adjustable means on said post for connection to a chain or the like.

4. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which said force applying device comprises a hydraulic cylinder.

5. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which said force applying device comprises a hydraulic cylinder which is abutable without positive connection at one end thereof with said leg and which has a piston rod abutable at its free end with said post.

6. A portable pulling device including a base having spaced rib means integrally formed on the upper surface thereof and a downwardly projecting annular seal on the lower surface thereof adapted to engage a floor and define a vacuum chamber, fastener means supported on said rib means, a post pivoted on said fastener means, a leg having recess means on one end thereof engageable with one of said rib and fastener means and a foot at its opposite end engageable with the floor, an extensible power operated device mounted at one end thereof on said leg and associated at its opposite end with said post to apply a pivoting force thereto, whereby the reaction to said pivoting force is received by said base and said foot.

7. The structure set forth in claim 6 wherein said fastener means comprises a bolt having a head and a nut threaded thereon and in which said recess means is engageable with said nut and with the head of said bolt.

8. The structure set forth in claim 6 in which said recess means comprises a pair of spaced downwardly facing recesses receiving said rib means.

9. The structure set forth in claim 6 in which said leg includes a pair of spaced parallel walls extending longitudinally of said leg and having downwardly facing notches at said one end thereof and a cross member ex tending between said walls to define a seat for said extensible device. 

1. A portable pulling device including a base having a downwardly projecting annular seal adapted to engage a floor and define a vacuum chamber, a post pivoted on said base, a leg having one end thereof positioned on said base and having a foot at its opposite end adapted to engage the floor, an extensible force applying device mounted at one end thereof on said leg and associated at its opposite end with said post to apply a pivoting force thereto, whereby the reaction to said pivoting force is received by said base and said foot.
 1. A portable pulling device including a base having a downwardly projecting annular seal adapted to engage a floor and define a vacuum chamber, a post pivoted on said base, a leg having one end thereof positioned on said base and having a foot at its opposite end adapted to engage the floor, an extensible force applying device mounted at one end thereof on said leg and associated at its opposite end with said post to apply a pivoting force thereto, whereby the reaction to said pivoting force is received by said base and said foot.
 2. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which said leg is provided at one end thereof with downwardly open slot means operable to receive portions of said base to prevent longitudinal movement of said leg relative to said base.
 3. A structure as set forth in claim 1 including adjustable means on said post for connection to a chain or the like.
 4. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which said force applying device comprises a hydraulic cylinder.
 5. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which said force applying device comprises a hydraulic cylinder which is abutable without positive connection at one end thereof with said leg and which has a piston rod abutable at its free end with said post.
 6. A portable pulling device including a base having spaced rib means integrally formed on the upper surface thereof and a downwardly projecting annular seal on the lower surface thereof adapted to engage a floor and define a vacuum chamber, fastener means supported on said rib means, a post pivoted on said fastener means, a leg having recess means on one end thereof engageable with one of said rib and fastener means and a foot at its opposite end engageable with the floor, an extensible power operated device mounted at one end thereof on said leg and associated at its opposite end with said post to apply a pivoting force thereto, whereby the reaction to said pivoting force is received by said base and said foot.
 7. The structure set forth in claim 6 wherein said fastener means comprises a bolt having a head and a nut threaded thereon and in which said recess means is engageable with said nut and with the head of said bolt.
 8. The structure set forth in claim 6 in which said recess means comprises a pair of spaced downwardly facing recesses receiving said rib means. 